The New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi) will discuss joining the People’s Alliance led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Türkiye’s upcoming elections, the party’s Chairman Fatih Erbakan said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chair Binali Yıldırım, Erbakan said they exchanged views and had a productive meeting. “We will discuss and consult the issue with our authorized bodies,” Erbakan said, referring to the prospect of joining the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)-led alliance.
Erbakan is the son of late former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the pioneer of conservatism and the leader of the "National Vision Movement."
For his part, Yıldırım said they asked Erbakan’s party to join the People’s Alliance. “We would like to see New Welfare Party join People's Alliance for the upcoming elections,” he said. Yıldırım visited the New Welfare Party with AK Party’s Deputy Chairman Ali İhsan Yavuz, who is responsible for election affairs.
On Friday, President Erdoğan formally called for May 14 elections, a month earlier than scheduled, setting the clock for the biggest vote in Türkiye’s history. According to the opposition, it will be a tight race, while some polls show Erdoğan in the lead against the six parties.
Türkiye is grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the powerful Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed more than 46,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of people across 11 Turkish provinces sheltered in tents or temporary accommodations.
The much-anticipated elections were scheduled to be held on June 18, but the government moved them forward to avoid conflicting with the hajj pilgrimage, a university entrance exam and the start of the summer vacation season.
